Aqtöbe

Aqtöbe or Aktöbe (both: əktöˈbĕ) [key], formerly Aktyubinsk əktyōˈbĭnsk, city (1993 est. pop. 264,000), NW Kazakhstan, on the Ilek River and the Kazalinsk RR. Aqtöbe has an important ferroalloy plant and chromium complex based on nearby ore deposits. Founded in 1869, the city grew rapidly with the expansion of metallurgical industries during World War II.